No. 34 of 108
July 17, 2025
With two dissenting Republican votes, the Senate passed cuts to funds Congress had previously authorized for public broadcasting, which helps to fund National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). If and when passed by the House, this would effectively end federal funding for public broadcasting.
What does it mean to “sit” in the commons? To have resources accessible and useful for all members of society, and to be mutually stewarding these resources? Does the fact that government funds something mean that it automatically sits in the commons? If so, does the government get to say what can or cannot be on Sesame Street? Are Bert and Ernie’s sexuality, the news that Big Bird got a vaccine, Elmo tried to figure out racism, and the Cookie Monster occasionally ponders whether he can eat more healthy reasons for a government to dictate changes to that which it funds and if those dictates aren’t followed to cut funding in the hopes that such programming is erased and unavailable to children and their parents throughout a country no matter where you live? And what if the government does all of that and there is still public broadcasting?